


Crescent Moon

by Onxy_Black



Series: Colours on a pallet [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Gen, repost, rework
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-29 20:07:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20802221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onxy_Black/pseuds/Onxy_Black
Summary: Crescent Moon, a team of 4 pro-rankers in Inkopolis. Nothing special, really, except that their leader is agent freaking 4 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.All characters are linked to the same universe as my other Splatoon works.This is a repost from my other work (Aftermarth), however, the author decided to have the short stories portion taken out and done as separate multi chapter works in a series instead.





	1. Crescent Moon rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First of all, this work is a repost! Why? because I'm 'renovating' the work where this short story is from. What I did there was have a bunch of one-shots/short stories all together in the same fic.... but it wasn't working out! The timeline and all was getting really messed up, so before it got worse, I decided to try fix it.
> 
> This is my answer. I'll have the short stories (this being the first) posted separately as individual stories, and have them all part of a series. I'm not quite sure how long or how it would turn out, but I think it is better than nothing! The current work is really messy!
> 
> For now, Aftermarth (the mess of a work) is still up, but I may eventually take it down once all the current stories are transferred out properly.
> 
> But other than that, on with the show!

Soft music floated through the dimly lit apartment. The binds were drawn closed, sunlight flickering through the gaps and penetrating the darkness.

"Mmm" the figure on the bed stirred.

The figure stretched, body curving like a feline.

Eyes fluttered opened, as the figure yawned once, before pushing herself up.

She stared blearily forwards for a second, before shivering. Without the protection of her blankets and the warmth of her heated mattress, she was cold. It didn't particularly help that she was barely clothed.

_Time to fix that._ The figure stretched again, letting out a sigh of pleasure as her muscles tensed and relaxed.

She got up, toes sinking into her thick wool carpeted floor. Making her way towards her wardrobe, she tossed open its doors to be greeted by her numerous outfits.

"Hmm," she hummed in thought, crawling at her lower lip with her fingers.

Cocking her head, she reached out and pulled a set of turfing gear out, before beginning to dress herself. A pair of tinted shades and a quick tentacle hairstyling completed her look for the day.

She smiled as she checked herself out in the mirror. She had long purple tentacles which could reach her knees, though now they were binded in a single ponytail behind her head. Her reflection smirked playfully. _Now that was one classy squid._

Swiping her squidphone from her desk, she found the time to be a little past noon. She was due for a meet up with her teammates at 1.30pm for a late lunch before some practice, so she was perfectly on time then.

She smiled again as she remembered the main event for today. _Yes, the meet up with her teammates. And they were finally going to burst the bubble. The secret would be out._

"Pop!" she smacked her lips. Just the thought of the reveal was sending shivers of anticipation down her spine.

Unlocking her phone, she opened the team chat.

* * *

GodmodeLevi is online. <12.16>

Artybabe: Oh look who's finally up. <12.17>

Artybabe: Good afternoon princess. <12.17>

GodmodeLevi: Heyy. Its not THAT late. <12.17>

GodmodeLevi: At least not as late as the reveal of a certain something... <12.17>

Artybabe: Ahhhh. Yes of course, a certain something... <12.18>

She44y: HEY. <12.20>

She44y: IT'S GETTING OLD. <12.20>

She44y: Also. Afternoon Levy. <12.21>

Chilldude: Ha! Relax~ a certain something would be revealed soon... <12.21>

Chilldude: Afternoon~ Levy my dear. <12.22>

GodmodeLevi: Woah. You are all up so early... <12.22>

Artybabe: Me and Mr Chill here got classes, remember? <12.24>

Chilldude: Screw physics. <12.25>

Artybabe: lol <12.25>

GodmodeLevi: Right. <12.26>

GodmodeLevi: Hey Shelly what's your excuse, huh?!? <12.27>

GodmodeLevi: jkjk <12.27>

She44y: Work. <12.27>

Chilldude: YOU WORK??? <12.28>

Chilldude: WOAH GIRL. I DID NOT KNOW THAT. <12.28>

Artybabe: Erm. Dude. She mentioned it before. <12.30>

Artybabe: Like. Last few weeks or so? You know, just about when something just so happened to appear as well... <12.31>

She44y: Oh come on. Screw you guys, you better tell me later. <12.31>

She44y: Right. Anyways. <12.32>

She44y: Levy. We were discussing pushing up the meeting later to 1pm instead, can you make it? <12.33>

She44y: Sorry. But a CERTAIN someone is toooo hungry to wait. <12.33>

GodmodeLevi: Oh. Sure, I'm ready already, traveling would take me around 20minutes. So maybe just a tad late? <12.33>

GodmodeLevi: Oh sure. A CERTAIN someone huh? <12.34>

Chilldude: HEY. I never said that ^^ <12.34>

Artybabe: Busted <12.34>

GodmodeLevi: Called it. <12.35>

She44y: Right. Back on track yea? So 1pm, Inkopolis Square. <12.35>

Chilldude: Sureee. But I didn't say that ^^^^ OK? <12.36>

Artybabe: ok. Seeyall later <12.36>

Artybabe is offline.

GodmodeLevi: mm. Later then. <12.37>

Chilldude is offline.

GodmodeLevi is offline.

* * *

The girl, or rather, Levy as she was known, shut off her phone.

Getting up, Levy stuffed her phone into her sling bag, along with several items before exiting her apartment.

Levy locked up, before heading out into the city. She would make for the city train service, which would bring her to Inkopolis Square.

Fishing her headphones out of her bag, she hooked them over her head, and scrolled through her phone for the freshest beats on the squidnet.

_Hmm. Something fresh, of course. But what?_ She was feeling something good old classic. _Oh!_

_'Off the Hook "Now or Never" feat. Squid Sisters'_

_Perfection. _The Squid Sisters and Off the Hook were 2 of the best bands Levy ever heard. Having a song featuring both of them was definitely going to be fresh as heck!

Levy selected the song, putting away her phone as the familiar beats began to play.

"Naaaaa, na na na na naaaa!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter for the introduction to Team Crescent Moon, focusing on our first member, Levy! Well, you squids should already know Shelly, thought 'Artybabe' and 'Chilldude' would be introduced in chapters to come. Im going to try get better character introduction and development on these 4 squids, hope I do it right.
> 
> Next few chapters are going to be on Crescent Moon, with the whole 'short story' about 4 chapter longs? maybe? but after that it would be back to a couple of one-shots again. Do let me know any feedback on the story flow or planning up to now.
> 
> 'Levy' is a reference to Levy McGarden of the manga 'Fairy tail'. It was one of the manga the author grew up with.
> 
> Levy's online name of 'GodmodeLevi' is a reference to Levi Ackermann of 'Shingeki no kyojin' (Attack on titan).
> 
> And finally Shelly's online name of 'She44y' is a reference to her being agent 4 (but then again it was obvious, right?). The not so obvious part is that there's two '4's, which make '8'. Shelly and Eight are good friends. heh.
> 
> The Now or Never song (feat. Squid Sisters) was actually sung at one of OtH's concerts in Japan (Polymanga?), but lets pretend it exist in-universe in this case.
> 
> Erm. do let me know if the references are actually annoying, cause well, the author just love to throw these type of little stuff around. Also, if there's any copyright infringement, please let me know.
> 
> So ya. Its a short chapter, but I didnt want to drag it, or introduce more characters, so lets leave it at that. How did your find this chapter? I didnt go super deep into Levy as a character, but just had the chapter centred about her POV instead. is it weird? Well, feedback would always be appreciated. I would try to reply to ever comment!
> 
> Until next time,  
Stay Fresh!


	2. Crescent Moon high up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics represent thought.  
\--- represent change in POV, location, or time passing.

"We're late! It's all your fault!" an inkling boy shouted at his counterpart as he dashed through the streets of Inkopolis.

"Less shouting and more running. Shelly going to kill us!" the other inkling boy replied.

He was a smidge taller than the first boy, but was slowed down by the slice of cake balanced in his hands.

The first boy was known as Arutemisu, or Art, as his friends called him. The second was known as Taito. Both were members of the ranked team Crescent Moon, and were, in fact, late for their 1pm meeting.

"Dammit. Someone had to stop for cake now, huh?!? Couldn't just wait for lunch?!" Art half turned and screamed at Taito.

"Less shouting and more runni-- No! Shit!" Taito replied, halfway through bringing a mouthful of cake to his mouth when his other hand slipped, and the entire cake splatted unto the ground.

"Leave it!" Art paused, only to grab Taito and drag him forwards.

"Bu... But my cake..." Taito sputtered while he stuffed the one mouthful of cake into his mouth.

"Leave it!" Art continued, finally heaving a sigh of relief as he felt Taito begin to follow him.

_Still. They were late, again. Even after they explicitly said they wouldn't be. Dammit._

_Shelly was going to scold them._

* * *

Shelly, leader of the team Crescent Moon stood alongside her teammate Levy.

The time read 1.12pm.

_Art and Taito were late. Again. How they managed to keep turning up late was a wonder. Every time it was a different excuse._

Shelly exchanged a look with Levy, who simply shook her head.

_Nothing in the group chat. And no sight of their two remaining teammates._

_Well, it wasn't the first time. Nonetheless, it was really annoying that the duo were always late._

A typical team would have had such members expelled already, but Crescent Moon was no typical team. The four of them had more or less grown up together, so knew each other little quirks.

Shelly knew Art and Taito since her childhood in the countryside. _The two boys were cousins, several times removed, if she remembered correctly. The duo had moved to the city for their studies a couple of years back, and Shelly fell out of touch with them for a bit. After she moved to the city last year, she had met up with them again, plus one this time. Art and Taito introduced her to Levy, a senior and friend they made in the university. They had then revealed that they were searching for a fourth member for a splatoon team._

_She had joined with them, and one thing led to another, ending up with her becoming the official leader. She knew Levy the least, then, but still had become fast friends with her. The four of them trusted each other, and put up with each other little errors and problems. Perhaps the whole thing about Art and Taito being always late was annoying, but just a month or so ago, Shelly herself had disappeared with a rather vague explanation on 'work' . _The entire team had poked into it a bit, but let off when it was clear Shelly didn't want to say.

_So they put up with each other. And their bonds would become stronger over this._ At least, that's what Levy said, some physiological shit from the major she was taking that Shelly wouldn't understand.

"Heyy. Babes! I'm herrrre!" a voice gasped out, drawing the two girls’ attention.

Taito was waving at them, attempting a smile in greeting, but failing. _Mostly due to being out of breath, and having a large smear of... cake? across his front shirt and the majority of his face._

Art stood besides him, panting himself.

"Sorry we're late, again. Taito wanted to get some cake." Art wheezed out, waving slightly guiltily in greeting.

Shelly shook her head, before bursting out in laughter. Levy soon joined in too, leaving the two males rather confused.

"Sorry. It's just... your excuses every time ... nevermind. Just go clean up. Then let's get lunch." Shelly said, after controlling herself.

"Right.. Ok" the two mumbled in confusion, before heading for a public restroom.

Shelly watched then go, shaking her head again.

She exchanged another look with Levy, before the two girls began a second round of giggling.

* * *

The time read 1.24pm when they were ready. With a collective nod, they headed for lunch.

Taito didn't want anything to do with western, but since he was late, his opinion didn't count.

Art and Levy didn't particularly mind, and neither did Shelly, so of course they went to a western place, just for Taito.

"Hello! Table for four please!" Shelly announced to the waiter before Taito could attempt to get them somewhere else.

"Oh sure! Right this way, miss!" a female waiter greeted her with a bright smile, before turning and beginning to lead them to a table.

_Hah. No escape now, Taito._ Shelly smirked, ignoring the fake groans of protest from behind her as Taito was dragged along.

The waitress's long tentacles swung in front of her, twirling as she turned and presented to them their table of four.

Shelly and the others sat down normally. Taito made a giant exaggerated show of clutching his chest and choking before Levy kicked him and he sat down with a whimper.

The menus was held in the waitress's hand, and covered the majority of her face, as she bowed slightly, presenting the menus to them, keeping a single copy over her face.

_Huh._ Shelly pondered as she lifted up the menu, attempting a look at the waitress face.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was familiar about the waitress.

_Hmm._

_Oh? Oh... Heh. Could it be?_ Shelly smiled slowly. _Yes, it could be... Time for a little test._

Shelly flipped the menu, before ordering, "We will have three sides of chicken wings done three ways, as well as three soups of the day, and three glasses of water to start us off, thank you."

The waitress didn't move at all, before turning slightly and beginning to jot down her order, while somehow keeping the menu over her face.

_Hmmm. Mmm. Heh._

Shelly ignored the protests of Taito that they were ordering for only three people as she watched the waitress like a hawk as she left their table.

"Oh sure. Silly me. I only ordered Three portions." Shelly drawled, raising her voice a tad at the word 'Three'.

The waitress flinched, before hastily making into the kitchen.

_Ah ha. Got ya. _Shelly allowed her smirk to come full force. _She was 90% certain now. She knew the waitress. It was her._

"Plotting something?" Levy quipped from across her, as she raised her hand to call another waiter to make a proper order this time.

"Oh. Nothing like that. Just found some rather interesting information." Shelly smiled as she returned her gaze to her teammates.

Art was trying to pacify Taito, who was now fake sulking. Fake sulking because it was fairly obvious that he was faking it.

"Come on Taito, I never said I wasn't ordering for you," Shelly began, but received a huff in response.

_Bah. Fine._

"Fine. You can, like, choose where we eat next time, regardless," Shelly said, as she rolled her eyes_. It was the answer Taito wanted, she knew that, he knew that._

Immediately Taito sat up, no longer 'sulking'.

"Oh gee. Thanks. Sure." he laughed, as he stretched his hands above his head.

* * *

The rest of the lunch was uneventful, and they exited the food place, but not before Shelly had to urge to rub in her little victory over the waitress again.

"Thank you! Here's a tip for three!" she raised her voice just a tad louder than necessary, as she transferred a rather generous amount of credits into the tip box, about three times the usual amount, hence a tip for three people. _Though, her statement could well be interpreted differently as well._

_Heh._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh ho! I wonder just who the 'mysterious' waitress is now, hmm?
> 
> Well, yea. I tried adding a bit of humour and fluff. I mean, come on, I can't be writing dark stuff forever (even though I like too.)
> 
> But right, We meet Art and Taito in this chapter, its actually my first time writing boys. (Zero doesn't count, for one he's older, and for two, he was always meant to be more feminine.) I hope I captured the youthful and playful spirit, cause thats what I'm aiming for. Do leave feedback if any.
> 
> 'Arutemisu' is the Japanese translation of 'Artemis', the greek godness of hunt. Its a reference to... yea, the novel series Artemis Fowl. Ok, I really like that series, it has the most amount of references in all my works.
> 
> Other than all that, nothing much, but we're moving onto the 'big reveal' soon. After that, I would wrap up Crescent Moon, and move back to one-shots. well, though now that I think about it, Crescent Moon has 4 members, so having a 4 chapter 'short story' is quite apt.
> 
> Anyways. Feedback is appreciated and loved. I would try to reply to every comment. Also, do remember I am taking requests (if it fits the story), so if you have an idea, drop it in the comments, or telegram (if you can), and I'll take a look. Thanks!
> 
> Until next time,  
Stay Fresh!


	3. Crescent Moon shining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics represent thought.  
\--- represent change in location, POV, or time passing.

"So, there's a new weapon in town. It’s called the SiegeSlammer," Art said.

_It was a rather simple sentence. Nothing special now, right?_ Shelly smiled, and nodded.

"Ahaha. Come on princess, quite a reveal right...?" Art continued, trying to incite some response from Shelly.

Shelly continued smiling, giving her team a look.

"Ahaha... Ooook right.... Erm." Taito began, then shuttered before quickly breaking off eye contact with her.

"Come on, it's a joke, right? Right?" Levy pipped up.

Shelly turned to face her, and SMILED.

It was a scary smile.

"Show me." Shelly spoke. A simple sentence, a request, a demand.

"AYE MADAM!" The three of them shouted, before turning for Ammo knights.

The store was crowded, as usual, but Shelly simply cut through the crowd effortlessly, making for the counter. Her teammates followed behind, exchanging nervous looks. _Maybe they kept this particular secret a tad too long, past the stage where it was funny..._

"Sheldon. Good afternoon." Shelly greeted the shopkeeper over the counter.

The horseshoe crab was facing away from them, and gave a little start at the calling of his name.

He finished up his conversation with another customer, before turning.

"Oh my! If it isn't Shelly and the rest of Crescent Moon! What an occasion! It's has been forever since I saw your together. Well, what can I help you with today?" Sheldon chattered, addressing the group of four. Yet his eyes were focused solely on Shelly, and as they made contact, both members of the NSS gave an almost unnoticeable nod to each other.

"Ah, you see now, my wonderful teammates here seemed to have forgotten to tell me a particular piece of information. Particular that there was a new weapon released a few weeks ago? When I was... occupied." Shelly words were sickly sweet, dripping with sarcasm as she fixed her teammates with another look.

"I see! The SiegeSlammer now, yes? It was released early at the request of its designer! There are positives and negatives, though perhaps you could find a balance to it yourself," Sheldon paused, making a subtle gesture to Shelly before continuing, "I can get you a sample to try it out? Or would you like to purchase it immediately? "

Shelly tapped her chin, pretending to consider, while her mind fitted the pieces of speech that Sheldon just said together.

_They had a double meaning. 'Positives' and 'Negatives', a 'Balance', the 'Designer'._

"..." Shelly raised her eyebrows slightly as she got it_. Balance between positive and negative. The middle between positive and negative. Zero. The designer. Agent 0 was the designer. Huh. Interesting._

"I'll be purchasing it straight away. Can I use the testing area to try it out?" Shelly said as she held out her card for payment.

"Certainly. You and your team are free to use... booth 5," Sheldon tapped at his monitor, before proceeding with his explanation, "The SiegeSlammer is really special. It is able to toggle between 2 modes, far range and close range. I'll let you try it out inside the area, but do be informed that it doesn’t come with any subs and just Ink beacon as a special. Well, it really is damaging though."

Shelly nodded absently as she took her card back, before heading for the back where the training booths were, giving her thanks to Sheldon as she passed.

Her teammates quietly followed, looking for all the world like a bunch of children about to get their medicine.

* * *

"Right. So like, I'm going to be upfront. I'm not mad, ok? Cause, I have been MIA for the past few weeks anyways. Let's all just put everything behind us? Shall we get some practice, then maybe a match tomorrow or something?" Shelly addressed her team, once they were in the privacy of the training booth.

"Ptff. Come on, we knew that. Of course we did." Taito laughed, the first to break the silence, waving his hand nonchalantly. 

Art shook his head, pausing before replying, "If you say so, but yeah. Sorry I guess? We're good. We're good."

"Same. Our bad. But yup, let's move on. We can give you some tips on usage of the SS." Levy spoke up, relaxing her pose.

Shelly laughed a little, before turning and walking over to the weapon rack. Her new purchase was sitting there, along with rental weapons currently in the meta, for training.

The SiegeSlammer kind of resembled an inkstrike in shape, held over the shoulder. The difference was a bulkier front, and a protruding pull push level from the side.

Shelly picked up the SiegeSlammer, attaching it to an ink tank, and cocking it. Every weapon came with a detailed instructional guide, but Shelly was a strong believer of practical learning.

Seeing no objection from her teammates, she took rough aim, and fired at the dummy targets.

A blast of ink shot straight out forwards, striking the target and exploding in a blast.

The weapon clicked, and began reloading. Keeping mental count, Shelly found it to take a total of 3 seconds before it beeped to signal that it was ready to fire again.

_Hmm. That was slow. But Cod was it long ranged and powerful._

"Princess! Try pulling the level, that changes it to long range!" Art hollered from across the room.

Shelly raised her eyebrows in surprise._ This mode was the 'close range mode'?_

Following the advice, she reached up and pulled the level, and immediately the weapon began shifting, sliding from a horizontal position to a more tilted position. Still clasped onto her shoulder, various pieces began moving, and re-interlocking with each other, until the entire weapon looked different, now at a 60 degrees position from the ground.

Her trigger was now a joystick of sorts, allowing her to move it around. A screen flipped out from the weapon, giving a map of the training area, target dummies and all, with a red dot to show her position, 3 grey dots for her teammates, and a red circle surrounding her dot.

Moving her trigger joystick, she found a blue circle to appear and move along with her trigger joystick movement.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what it meant. _It looked like the screen was showing the range of the weapon, as well as the positions of the 'players' on the field. The blue circle was the target to which the shots would be fired too._

Shelly grinned. _This seemed fun._

She squeezed the joystick, and felt the weapon rumble, before a shot was discharged, flying and arcing through the air, before slamming down at the destinated position.

The weapon rumbled again, as it reloaded.

_Hmm. 3 seconds to reload, again, but time was needed for the fired shot to reach its destination too. So, it seemed this weapon was really meant to be a far range to extremely far range type of weapon, able to dish out powerful blasts from over obstacles, just like a siege weapon. That was the far range mode, the close range mode was to be more for close up defence, since the arcing shots would be nigh useless at close quarters._

_Still, the reloading time meant that the SiegeSlammer was a backliner, and required protection, or support to excel in a game. Mmm._ _The team composition definitely needed some testing and practice to have it include the SiegeSlammer._

"Well? How's it?" Levy asked, as the three of her teammates walked over.

Shelly gave her her quick analysis of the weapon.

Levy nodded.

Shelly noted she, as well as the others, are armed with their preferred weapons of choice.

_A roller for Taito. An airsoft sprayer for Levy. A splattershot for Art._

"Wanna go a few rounds? Tag team, two vs two," Levy continued.

"Sure. Team on time vs team late?" Shelly suggested as she pulled the level of the SiegeSlammer to change it back to the 'close range mode'.

"Oh? You’re on! I ain't going to lose!" Taito screamed, as he pointed his roller straight at Shelly and Levy.

Art sighed behind him, rolling his eyes.

"I'm good, either way. Go easy on me, princess, " Art said, bringing his splattershot into a ready position.

"Ha! We'll beat you sorry late comers, " Levy declared, as she took her side, facing the other 'team'.

Shelly grinned fiercely; _this was going to be good practice._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha. Right, so I decided to skip alot of dialogue about the reveal of the 'SS' to Shelly for a couple of reasons.  
1\. I suck at writing dialogue.  
2\. I don't like writing too much dialogue.  
3\. I didn't feel like writing alot of dialogue.
> 
> ...
> 
> Erm. Right, anyways I felt it may have been too boring to just have 4 squids going back and forth about a rather simple topic, and not as interesting. Instead, I opted for a shorter reveal and the introduction of Sheldon. Along with him, some little references to the NSS between him and Shelly. I felt that was more enjoyable to read.
> 
> In case you don't get the 'code' between Sheldon and Shelly. The number '0' is balanced right between the positive and negative. So Sheldon was discreetly telling Shelly that the number '0' had something to do with the 'designer'. Shelly's a smart squid, 2 and -2 make 0. heh. But yea, just a little tiny reference to Agent 0 and to have Shelly know about it.
> 
> Unto the SiegeSlammer and the weapon/subs choices. Erm, I don't play Splatoon, so I don't really know much about the different weapon types. (and by extension, the different gear and power ups, hence why my description of clothing is usually quite generic.) I'm not quite sure if a weapon like the SiegeSlammer is even possible in-game, but I think I gave it both positives and negatives, so it should be balanced?
> 
> Also, sorry if you don't get the description of how the SiegeSlammer work, but yea. Take it as a Bazooka in the close range mode, and an Artillery in the far range mode. Both modes are slow to reload, but extremely damaging. The difference is the Artillery mode allows for shooting over walls and obstacles, but the shot then take time to reach its destination.
> 
> And there we have it. I hope you been properly introduced to team Crescent Moon, and find its members enjoyable. I tried to give each one of them a personality. Though, perhaps Levy is still a bit lacking... Art too... Geh. whatever. There's still one last chapter before I wrap up this short story, then its going to be back to one-shots. I have no idea what to write for that (the one-shots), but I'll try to touch on the octolings (Eight, Charger and Co. etc.). No promises though.
> 
> As usual, feedback is loved and appreciated, on the work, chapter, or anything in general. I would reply to every comment if I can, no matter when it is posted.
> 
> Until next time,  
Stay Fresh!


	4. Crescent Moon waning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics represent thought.  
\--- represent change in location, POV, or time passing.

The training room was a mess of ink. The 4 members of Crescent Moon sat hunched around in a rough circle, covered in ink themselves.

Grins were all around, as they chatted about the practice match that they had just finished.

Shelly was still getting used to the SiegeSlammer, and had lost all but one of the five practice matches they had. But then again, it probably was Levy carrying her.

"Nnn..." Shelly stuck her tongue out partially as she fiddled around with the SiegeSlammer again, feeling up the shape and weight of the weapon, trying out the different angles to hold and aim it.

"So, how did you find it, Princess?" Art began.

"Hmm. It's powerful for sure, but I don't know if it’s for me..." Shelly trailed off as she continued with her fiddling.

_She typically wielded dualies, and was used to the fast paced, mobile playstyle. The SiegeSlammer, on the other hand, offered a slow, controlling playstyle instead._

"Yup, thought as much. Eh, well at least you tried it," Art said as he stood, and stretched, "I'm going to head over to the vending machine real quick, anyone want stuff?"

"Cheerios!" Taito's hand shot up like a rocket.

"..."

"Drinks, genius," Art said after a moment of silence.

"Cheerios is a drink," Taito stuck out his lower lip and made a face, as if challenging anyone to say otherwise.

Shelly facepalmed.

"Diet Coke please," Levy said as she rolled her eyes at the antics of Taito.

"Cheerios!" Taito went again.

"DRINKS," Art hissed, before turning and nodding to Levy to acknowledge her order.

"Idiot non withstanding, anything else? Shelly?" Art asked the group, pointly ignoring his semi relative.

"I'm good, thanks," Shelly waved off Art with a smile, before returning to her tinkering.

"I'm going too," Taito announced, as he stood up as well, as he joined Art and began making for the vending machine.

5 minutes later, the duo returned. Art looked dead, barely holding on to a minute squid orange and Levy's diet Coke. Taito held a pack of Cheerios, and a wore a shit eating grin, as he popped piece after piece into his mouth.

Levy opened her beak to question the situation, but stopped when Art just gave a very tired shake of his head.

Both her and Shelly knew that look. It was the look Art wore after dealing with one too many of Taito's bullshit and whims. _This time, it probably had to do with somehow obtaining a packet of Cheerios from a drinks vending machine._

Art plopped down with a groan, before sliding Levy her drink.

Shelly raised an eyebrow at Art, looking up from her weapon, "You ok there?"

Art have her a weak nod, before rolling his eyes and jerking his head vaguely in Taito's direction, before dropping in a sigh.

_Right. They roughly got it then._

"..."

"Ahem. Right. So shall we make plans for out next session?" Shelly broke the silence with her question.

"Sure. Let's get some games done. Are we using the Siege?" Levy joined into the conversation, nodding her head.

Taito nodded, taking a second away from grabbing more Cheerios to give a 'OK' sign before returning to munching on his snack.

"Whatever you say, Princess. As for the Siege… I’m not sure. So, 1pm again? I promise me and Taito will be on time this time," Art gave his agreement as well, before fixing Taito with a look.

"Furrre. Wheve arrr fevarr fatte!" Taito spoke through a mouthful of food, bits of saliva coated Cheerios spitting out from his beak.

"Eww. Watch it." Levy frowned and hastily made distance between her and Taito.

Shelly followed suit, opting to move her brand new SiegeSlammer first before scooting away herself.

"Nn. Righto. So, like, tomorrow, then," Shelly said as she moved, each word for every movement she made.

“Let’s hold off the decision on the SiegeSlammer for now. I may use it, but I’m going to need more practice first,” Shelly finished, nodding to Levy.

The group of three gave their assent once more, before they each started packing up for the day.

_The rental weapons would need to be returned to the training rack, and the place needed to be cleaned up._

Levy started collecting the rental weapons while Art made for the training room control panel.

Keying in some commands, the training area gave a series of clicks before the ink on the ground started drying rapidly and the dummy targets all popped back up.

Shelly hoisted her SiegeSlammer, hauling it back to the carrier case it came in.

And that left Taito to clean the foodstuff, empty cans and the wrapper of his Cheerios.

"What are you guys doing after this?" Art broke the monotonous mood of cleaning up with his question.

"Study. I need to finish up my research paper," Levy groaned from where she was arranging the rental weapons back into the rack. "I swear, if the professor rejects my paper again, I'll shove the SiegeSlammer up his ass and squeeze the trigger," she huffed.

"Good luck? Anyways, me and Taito need to do some coursework as well. So it's the library for us," Art said, earning a whine from Taito across the hall.

"Cod. Not coursework, anything but coursework..."

"Shut it. You act like this all the time but still score better than me, " Art shot back.

"Ah, princess. What about you?" Art asked the last member of their team who hadn't replied.

"Work, " Shelly's answer was crisp and straight to the point, as she finished the fitting of the SiegeSlammer into the carrier, before standing.

"Oh. Work huh. Right, ok," Art spoke, before he fell silent.

The three of them, Art, Taito, and Levy, exchanged looks. _This 'work' that Shelly been involved in for the past month of so was starting to get troubling. It was always work. Not that working was bad per se, but... they couldn't shake the feeling it was something more than that._

_Furthermore, over the last month, they had seen some changes in their leader. The obvious ones were that she had less time, or that she was tired due to work. But, Shelly had also before more paranoid, more cautious. She tried to hide it, but at times her eyes would dart around, with a foreign, almost scary, look in them._

_Finally, the number 'four'. Shelly claimed it was her lucky number, and that they were four of them in Crescent Moon, so that was all that was. It sounded reasonable, but all three of them had suspicion that the number 'four' held more meaning than what Shelly was letting on._

_Still, they wouldn't dig. They trusted Shelly, their leader. They trusted her to know that she could always tell them, no matter what, and they would be there for her._

Done with the clean-up, Crescent Moon stood in the centre of the room. As one, they gave a final nod, before they each turned, and made for their separate paths.

_It was weird, all of them thought so, but it more or less had become tradition for all their meetings to end like so._

_To reinforce the bonds of friendship, till all meets again. Well, again based on the physiological major Levy took, at least._

* * *

The room was dark, light entering as the door opened.

Now, it wasn't just any room, it was agent 0's personal lab and operations centre. It wasn't just any door either, it was a triple passcoded and retina scanning door. So the figure that entered the room was no doubt an agent.

"Agent 3. Hello there, weird for you to drop by," Zero greeted the visitor from where he was sprawled out over his recliner chair, fiddling around with some trinket.

Agent 3, as confirmed by Zero, stepped wordlessly forwards, closing the door behind her.

And yet again the room was enveloped in darkness, just a faint light coming from Zero's and Three's natural bioluminescence.

"Zero. I need... a favour," Three squeezed the words out past gritted teeth.

Her red eyes narrowed, turning into silts. _She hated asking a favour from Zero, or anyone in general, but she had no choice. She needed the particular set of skills Zero had. Primarily the hacking aspect._

Red eyes flickered upwards to meet hers, both sets glowing slightly in the dim light.

"Certainly, my dea--ahem. I mean, Three," Zero quickly corrected himself mid-sentence after receiving a glare from said inkling.

"Agent 4. Shelly. I need revenge." Three was short, cutting straight to the point.

"..." Zero observed Three in the dim light. Inklings did have rather good night vision, given that their ancestors lived in the dark depths in the past, so Zero was more or less able to discern the look on Three's face.

Three was trying to look tough and angry, but under that was embarrassment and just a slight tad of mischievousness.

"Certainly... what do you have in mind?" Zero replied. _Let's go along with this now, it seemed... interesting,_ Zero thought. It_ never hurt to have just a bit more information on his fellow agents now_.

Three grinned, the whites of her fangs gleaming in the weak light. Her eyes seemingly glowed a brighter hue of red, if even possible.

Zero suppressed a shiver. _Cod. What was he getting himself into? That expression Three wore... it shouldn't be allowed to exist. _

"Oh. I have an idea," Three grinned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MM HMM. I wonder what Three got planned now, hmm?
> 
> Honestly? I wrote the last part before everything else, and had a good laugh at what I planned for Three to do. Of course, you don't know that yet, but I promise I'll try make it good. Try. I have the idea in my head, but yea, I'll try to present it in a way that is enjoyable.
> 
> Other then that ending, the chapter was mostly slice of life between Crescent Moon. Its a wrap up to whatever I introduced at the start of the short story, with a bit of humor thrown in. Erm. Do you find Taito, or really any of the 3 new characters to be annoying, or lacking in any way? Do leave some feedback if so, thank you. Why did I arrow Taito? Erm. Reasons.
> 
> But yeah. Again, the ending sets up another event to take place in the future, which would involve both Zero and Three.
> 
> Aaaannnnnd.... Ok. I really want to say something, but I think it going to be toooo spoilery. Just. AH. I really shouldn't. JUST. AH. Yeah.
> 
> Both Zero and Three have red eyes.
> 
> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
> 
> Ok, I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that. But I always pretend I'm having an actual conversation whenever I write these author notes? So I don't edit or delete parts I already typed. (other than to spell check). Like, legit, I always kept everything I type in these notes as they were, and just typed whatever I want to say. It feels more genuine as a conversation that way? I hope?
> 
> Anyways. As always, feedback on the work, idea, or chapter, or anything is appreciated and loved. I would reply to every comment when I can.
> 
> Until next time,  
Stay Fresh!


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